1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus of sensing a minor collision of a vehicle and a method thereof, and more particularly, to a technology for sensing when a vehicle is scratched by analyzing a sound (e.g., a sound wave signal) generated while a surface of the vehicle is scratched by a column of a building, another vehicle, or the like when the vehicle is being driven forward or backward below a certain speed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, when a vehicle is parked in a parking lot in for example an apartment complex or a public parking lot, minor collisions (i.e., scratches or small dents) with other vehicles frequently occur due to how narrow the parking spaces are. Particularly, inexperienced drivers often scratch the vehicle by rubbing the vehicle along a column of a building while parking the vehicle without knowing that they are coming in contact with the column.
Typically, most of drivers do not know at the time of the collision that such a collision has occurred. Instead, it is often some time later before the scratches or dents are found. As a result, the damage to the vehicle is not minimized.
In an effort to solve the above-mentioned problem, some systems have implemented an impact sensing sensor and inform the driver when an impact against the vehicle is sensed. However, these systems described above are effective only when the impact is above a certain threshold value and do not sense minor collisions (i.e., scratches and small dents)